Did you know...
Let's start with the first three estates and go from there.
The first three estates signified the classes of men's activities during the feudal era in Europe, which began about A.D. 850. These activities amounted to praying, fighting, and working the land for food. Thus the first estate was the clergy, the second estate was nobility, which included kings, and warriors. The third estate was everyone else, but consisted mostly of peasant farmers. Eventually the members of these estates came to be known in England as lords spiritual, lords temporal, and commons (hence the House of Lords and the House of Commons).
The concept of a fourth estate is believed to have originated in 1828, when Thomas Babington Macaulay referred to a group of news reporters as "a fourth estate of the realm." Soon the 'fourth estate" was a popular nickname for members of the newspaper profession. Later its meaning expanded to include any influential aspect of English political life that was not the government i.e. the army or the news media regarding anything in radio, TV, or print.
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3 comments:
I've never heard the term before. So not only did I hear "The fourth estate" today I also learned what it meant and it's origin. I feel smarter already. Just don't ask me about it tomorrow if you don't want to get any dumb looks from me. Dumber than usual that is.
Ph: I am here to inspire and educate. I'm glad I was at least able to inspire...no, educate..at least one person today.
These days it seems EVERYTHING is eThis and eThat. Maybe those kooky brits were way ahead of the curve in this department.
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